The Word Became Flesh (Part 13) – The Lord Will Suddenly Come to His Temple – John 7
October 29, 2017Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Jerry Cisar
The setting of John 7 is a festive time in Jerusalem, as we will see, but it is a time of severe testing for Jesus. He knowingly walks right into the hornets nest—the place where He is wanted and they desire to kill Him. There are temptations all around: traps to avoid and pressures to make Himself famous.
It is the Feast of Tabernacles… or maybe better, “Feast of Tents.” It reminds us of the tents that the people lived in during their wilderness wanderings, and God protected them. Jesus, however, in a wilderness wandering of His own needs God’s protection. The Word became flesh and tented among us. Now Jesus is reminded that His own tent, His flesh, is like the flowers of the field, it withers and fades quickly. But as we will discover, Jesus will be supernaturally protected.
Many scholars are convinced that John’s Gospel is set up as a dual-trial. On the one hand the Jewish leaders and people put Jesus on trial. On the other, Jesus turns the tables, and throughout is putting them, and ultimately the whole world, on trial. Chapter 7 and 8, are exhibit A! Jesus is on trial, and yet He is the Judge, so in the end, it is His accusers who are in fact convicted of guilt.
If you like courtroom TV, this story is like one of those trials that ends with Perry Mason leading the prosecution’s main witness into offering testimony that proves that witness guilty of the crime in question, resulting in the vindication of the falsely accused defendant. But also like a court room, the transcript is back and forth and at times combative.